GASTONIA, N.C. – Sue Ann Robb calls it the “hipster influx.” They’re the young, fashion conscious folks coming to downtown Gastonia to hang out at Zoe’s Coffee House. They’re the reason Robb and Jenny Rice decided to open Retro Sideshow Vintage and Thrift at 105 S. Marietta St.“I just thought we needed something like this downtown,” Robb said. “The only option is going to Goodwill and scouring for hours.” The concept is half Asheville, half NoDa, the artsy Charlotte neighborhood along North Davidson. Looking to purchase a “Jingle Cats” CD? You’ll find the Christmas music recording featuring feline meows at the store.Need a PeeWee Herman button or Van Halen vinyl? You’ll find both at the funky boutique, which sells clothing, accessories, costumes and vinyl records. The store features shirts made by local artists. “We’ve done the digging for you,” Rice said. Downtown Gastonia has made progress, Robb said. If no one else takes the plunge of opening up downtown, the area will continue to see closed store fronts. “I’m really sick of hearing, ‘We need to be like Belmont,’ because we don’t,” Robb said.Robb’s also the owner of Running with Scissors hair salon a few feet away. If she didn’t believe in downtown, Robb said she wouldn’t be starting up another business. She decided to take the leap, bringing in Rice as a co-owner and photographer Darby Sadler to set up shop in the basement.Darby Doll Photography’s basement studio is divided into two spaces. One part features a place to photograph families and babies and more. The first person photographed in Sadler’s new space was a 5-day-old infant. Unlike other studios with set time limits for sessions, Sadler said she works on a baby timeline, taking breaks if needed to get the best photos.The second part of Sadler’s studio has a bedroom setup designed for boudoir photos. “It’s PG-13 at the worst,” Sadler said. “We don’t show anything.” Sadler was born in Gastonia, but moved around a lot with her military husband. She’s been back for around five years.“Our whole thing is we want people to be happy with our pictures,” Sadler said. “We don’t want them to feel rushed and we keep it pretty affordable.”